South African Museum to Return Mystery Mummy to Egypt in Early 2022

South Africa will return the mummy of an Ancient Egyptian priest named Peten-Amun to Egypt in early 2022. Currently on display at the Durban Natural Science Museum in South Africa, the 2000-year-old mummy was mysteriously found in the museum's inventory in 1910, and is believed to have been brought to the eThekwini municipality by a British officer, since it only had an undated label saying 'Captain Myers' attached to it.

Since its unexpected recovery, research has revealed that the mummy is likely from Akhmim in Upper Egypt. It is believed that Peten-Amun passed away at 60 years old during the early Ptolemaic period (300 BC).

Weziwe Thusi, eThekwini's municipal speaker, announced that the repatriation is part of a larger effort to correct the acts of colonialism that have forcefully removed and relocated artefacts all across Africa.

There is currently a memorandum of understanding between the city of Durban and the city of Alexandria. The move is hoped to sustain the relationship between the two cities, as well as that of South Africa and Egypt in general.